Hats off to you, Japan

It is almost 2 weeks after the catastrophic events of March 11, and while the nuclear plant situation will take a long time to sort out, the rest of Japan are looking forward to healing and rebuilding.

I have been following the news closely. Japan is near and dear to my heart and it hurts me to see it suffer so. This crisis also gave me a new found respect for my second home. I'm not talking about the Japanese government. I neither trust nor distrust any government. I'm not talking about Japanese culture either. I know the word "culture" is sometimes used as a weapon to attack and put down others. I'm talking about those in the Northeast region hardest hit by the recent natural disaster.

I don't know what it is that is helping these people to stand tall in times of tragic desperation. But whatever it is, they are enduring these horrific events with the utmost grace and dignity. I've read countless of stories of volunteers and rescuers reaching a group of people, only to be told by those victims themselves that they are alright and that the rescuing efforts ought to move on to others who are in even more dire need than they are. Pictures of the perilously long lines outside the evacuation centers speak louder than any word I could have written. Those are the people who have lost everything, their family, loved ones, friends, community, home, job, their whole world came apart and was destroyed on that fateful day. They are traumatized, hurt, cold, hungry, thirsty, and they queue up for food, water, and emergency supplies. No shoving, pushing, arguing, and fighting over rations. There has been no slow descent into chaos. No looting, riots, rapes, or murders. Just people, young and old, suffering silently and keeping to themselves, putting their community above their own persons. And for that, they have my utmost respect.

Sure, Japan has plenty of problems and many weaknesses, but its best strength is its people. It is no small feat to be able to cultivate such dignified and graceful citizens who are selfless in the time of crisis. Hats off to you, Japan.

My heart is with Japan...

In the light of the disastrous earthquake and tsunami, I'm going to stop posting on both of my blogs for a few weeks until things calm down a little bit. Yokohama was not terribly affected by the earthquakes and tsunamis, but the current ongoing nuclear emergencies are a real threat, in addition to the rationing of power and water.

Please keep the victims in the hardest-hit Northeast in your prayers and thoughts.

Thank you,

D.

Happie Nuts March 2011

The March 2011 issue of Happie Nuts features a very pretty Rienda tote in a Gothic Lolita-esque print of purple-hued roses on black background.

Sweets Paradise

After the day in Chinatown, the late afternoon and early evening in Yamashita Park, hubby pulled out all the stops and took me to a dessert buffet I've been wanting to try for a while, Sweets Paradise ^.^

What is a dessert buffet, you ask? Watch this video and see for yourself! Does that answer your question? Yes, all the cakes you can eat in 70 minutes ^.^

Of course, if you're one of the folks who can't have cakes for dinner, there are pastas, salads, and soups to warm your appetite before diving into the sweets. And they're not just thrown together crap either, the pastas weren't bad at all! In fact, they were kinda good xD

Clockwise from top: pasta in tomato sauce, pasta in garlic pesto sauce, and pasta in a spicy garlic sauce.

Garnier Nutritioniste Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream

I don't usually pay attention to American drug store brands, so I wasn't aware of the existence of this Garnier Nutritioniste Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream until I got a sample of it from a magazine, Elle I think, though it could have been Allure.

Yamashita Park, Yokohama, Kanagawa

Sorry, I'm still catching up on the events in February ^.^

After snacking around all afternoon in Chinatown, hubby and I headed over to Yamashita Park, which was only a short 10 minutes walk away. Good thing we did, because, damn, I can't believe it took us this many months to finally get to this place - it's a hell of a gorgeous park with an ocean front view! The sun was setting when we got there, but the dusk made the whole place seem even more magical.

Across the street from Yamashita Park

HJB Skilabo Cleansing Oil

New month, new oil cleanser! Well, actually I've been using this HJB Skilabo Cleansing Oil since late January :P

HJB is a generic brand as generic as they can come. Yes, that means everything from skincare to facial tissue to whatever else you can think of. I was getting bored of the usual drug store brands like Softymo, Naive, and even DHC, but at the same time I don't want to shell out big bucks for the department store brands. Why should I, when the drug store stuff works just as well, if not better? That was when I thought of trying the generic brands, just for kicks. I can always get Softymo, Naive, DHC, Biore, Dove, what have you, online so it doesn't really matter whether or not I'm in Japan. The generic Japanese brands, however, are only available in Japan.